Another World Junior Championship, another World Surfing Festival

The world’s best Under 18 surfers gathered together from May 24th to June 1st at La Plage du Penon, in Seignosse, France for the biggest Junior Tournament on the Planet: the 2008 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championship.

Almost 300 surfers from 27 different countries participated in the event for a whole week in the following divisions: Boys under 18 and under 16 and Girls under 18. Once again, the friendship spirit was in the air. It was clear that surfing encourages living in peace and unity among different races, religions and colours.

On the beautiful Atlantic French coast, young Muslims, Catholics, Jews, white people, black people, yellow people, etc - each of them with their different traditions, languages and cultures mingled with each other and spent some days that they probably will never forget .

All of this was possible because an excellent contest took place. One week of perfect waves, especially good on the last day (Saturday May 31), with long glassy 4 to 5 feet rights, as a perfect finale to the festival.

The most promising surfers of the world competed in the three finals. The first celebration came from Brazilian Alejo Muniz in the Boys under 18. Tahitian Tamaroa MCComb followed him in the Boys under 16, and the event came to an end with the Australian Laura Enever winning the Girls under 18.

Australia celebrated its amazing third consecutive Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championship title. It is the fourth Gold Medal Australia has won out of the six editions of the event. It is quite clear that Aussies are not only dominating the Pro scene in the present, they will continue doing it in the future.

Once the event was over, the Awards Ceremony took place, winners’ National Anthems were sung and the President of the International Surfing Association, Fernando Aguerre, closed the event and welcomed the waiting period for Ecuador 2009.

“What a wonderful week! It was raining cats and dogs an hour before the Opening Ceremony; but a moment before the ceremony, the sun was shining. ISA’s karma is very good…,” the President said.

He added: “Surfing is alive and full of energy. One day after tomorrow, the Olympic Committee will meet, in Athens, and I will be there again fighting for Surfing to become an Olympic Sport. It’s just a matter of time. The next Quiksilver ISA World Junior Championship will be in March 2009 in Ecuador, but we will meet sooner in the World Surfing Games in Portugal, this year on October.

Another chapter of the junior surfing history has closed up and now we are waiting for the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championship that will take place next year in Ecuador.

Junior World Champions
Gold: Australia
Silver: Brazil
Bronze: Hawaii
Copper: United States

Boys under 18
Gold: Alejo Muniz (BRA)
Silver: Owen Wright (AUS)
Bronze: Tyler Newton (HAW)
Copper: Marc Lacomare (FRA)

Girls under 18
Gold: Laura Enever (AUS)
Silver: Tyler Wright (AUS)
Bronze: Courtney Conlogue (USA)
Copper: Airini Mason (NZL)

Boys under 16
Gold: Tamaroa McComb (TAH)
Silver: Peterson Crisanto (BRA)
Bronze: Matty Costa (HAW)
Copper: Ian Fontaine (FRA)

Aloha Cup
1º New Zealand
2º Australia
3º France
4º South Africa

About International Surfing Association
The International Surfing Association (ISA) is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the World Governing Authority for surfing, bodyboarding and surfriding. It was originally founded as the International Surfing Federation in 1964 and has been running world championships since 1964 and the Junior World Championships since 1980. 

ISA membership includes the surfing National Governing Bodies (NGBs) of over 50 countries on six continents. Its headquarters are located in San Diego, California. It is presided by Fernando Aguerre, first elected in 1994 in Rio, and re-elected six times since.  The ISA's four Vice Presidents are Alan Atkins (Australia), Robin de Kock (South Africa), Maile Aguerre (Hawaii) and Mike Gerard (USA).

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